Computer Scientist and Author
Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist, futurist, and musician widely credited with coining the term virtual reality and founding VPL Research, the first company to sell VR products. He works at Microsoft Research and has written several influential books warning about the social harms of technology and social media.
by Jaron Lanier
Lanier, a computer scientist and early VR pioneer, argues that Silicon Valley's free-services model redistributes wealth upward by monetizing users' data while paying them nothing. The book argues for a micropayments architecture that would restore a middle class by making individuals the owners and sellers of their own digital contributions.
The books Jaron Lanier references, cites, and recommends most frequently.
by Steven Levy
Levy had unprecedented access to Google's founders, engineers, and executives over two years to chronicle the company's algorithms, culture, and strategic battles. Levy argues that Google's engineering-led culture and willingness to automate judgement represented a fundamentally new way of building a company.
by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson portrays Jobs as a study in contradictions - visionary and cruel, obsessive and brilliant. His core thesis: Jobs' relentless pursuit of perfection and control over end-to-end products reshaped entire industries.
by Tim Wu
Wu traces a recurring cycle in information industries: open systems get consolidated by monopolists, then disrupted again. From telephone to internet, the pattern threatens every medium.
Who Jaron draws from, and who draws from Jaron — aggregated across every book in this collection. Counts show the number of citation links, not the depth of each one.